BM arrived too late to see the forth band on this bill so this night, the Acrylic EP launch, started with Bubbatrees.
From Glasgow and with one album under their belts (‘Adult Culture’), they played an energetic and melodic set. A three piece (Andrew, Kyle and Martin) combo with some good tunes, the pulled a sizeable crowd. Twanging guitar, strong vocals and a yearning to the riffs, a wee bit early U2 maybe… ‘Gateway (What You’re Waiting For)’ is probably the strongest track.
Next on were another West of Scotland band, Vagabonds, from Motherwell. They had also brought a few fans, and a bit of attitude. Strong guitars, swaggering vocals and a couple of hooky tunes (‘Weekend Messiah’ especially) , they certainly wowed the pretty packed crowd and there was a lot of shouting and applause.
The headliners Acrylic were on last, around 11pm. Supported by the wonderful Scottish Fiction label, the show was to promote their debut EP ‘All I Am’. A five-piece based in Glasgow, they combine riffy guitar melodies with impassioned vocals and kick up a fair racket.
The sound could be described as Radiohead vs Afrobeat but in fact they are fairly original, the spindly guitar of Ross Patrizio and Jack Lyall backed by the thrumming bass of Lewis Doig and the thumping but restrained drumbeat of Ruairdh Smith. And out front, smiling at the audience while delivering his sweet but strong baritone, is Andreas Christodoulidis. ‘In Here/Tonight’ is plangent, soulful, and there are several new songs tonight as well.
The title track of the EP ‘All I Am’ is catchy, teeming with energy, but also very sure of itself. Other tracks like ‘Where I Lie’ were also outstanding, and the whole vibe was very laid-back and blissful – a very pleasurable night indeed and BM hopes Acrylic follow their instincts because they have been spot-on so far.